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Does divorce occur by uttering the word "you are divorced" incidentally while reading, or by saying "divorce her" due to absentmindedness, or unintentionally when thinking about divorce, or by saying "I divorce her" in the context of a discussion without the intention of divorce? Is expiation (kaffara) obligatory for that, and what is its amount and how is it paid? What is the ruling on a man telling his wife "I don't want you" with the intention of sending her to her family temporarily?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The cure for whisperings and doubts regarding divorce is to disregard them. The phrases mentioned do not effect a divorce, because his statement "she will be divorced" was made while he was reading Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and "divorce her" is an imperative form that does not effect a divorce. Moving the tongue with divorce pronouncements without intention does not effect a divorce, and the form "I divorce her" in the present tense does not effect a divorce. As for his statement to his wife, "Go and sit with your family... I want you," it is a figurative expression that does not effect a divorce unless accompanied by intention. Marriage is a Prophetic Sunnah, and frequent doubt and whisperings do not effect a divorce.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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